It’s been an arduous year of tasting, tasting and more tasting here at the Good Libations sampling office. All for you, dear readers; and, of course, for my year-end roundup of the top 20 Californian wines of 2015.

I didn’t just sit back and let those beauties come to me, no sir. I hit the road, travelling to almost every wine-growing region between here and Lodi (including Lodi – much less wild and woolly than I’d anticipated). I swirled, sniffed, slurped and spit out God knows how many Cabs and Chardonnays at the International Wine Writers Symposium, an event held in Napa each February that practically guarantees more wine than even the most devoted oenophile could stand.

So I’ve tasted and traveled enough to give a reasonable assessment, at least when it comes to wines from our fair state. I’m happy to report that this was a very good release year for most of California’s wine-producing regions. Many 2013 reds hit the market over the last few months, and it’s proving to be the phenomenal vintage many suspected it would be – especially the wines of the Central Coast, but those of Napa and Sonoma as well.

I’ve broken my choices into four categories to spread the love around. I don’t play favorites – I love all my grapes equally. And it’s too hard to rank them; I’ve listed each category alphabetically.

Some of these wines are inexpensive and/or widely available. Others couldn’t be procured even if you had a genie and three wishes.

Here’s a random list of the standouts from recent samplings in my in-box and three recent trips to the Central Coast.

Babcock 2013 Central Coast Chardonnay($20): If you’ve ever been to Walt’s Wharf in Seal Beach, you know that the Babcocks are serious winemakers as well as first-rate restaurateurs (their wines are on the menu for very reasonable prices). Walt’s son Bryan does an impressive job with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at the family-owned winery. This reasonably priced Chardonnay is rich and unctuous, thanks to full malolactic fermentation, yet retains bracing minerality.

Buccella 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon($145): One of those wines that makes you realize that yes, sometimes it’s worth it to spend serious coin on the right Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Wine Spectator: “Intense and potent, with a rich mix of lead pencil, graphite, dark and dried berry, cedar and anise flavors. Maintains its intensity and persistence on the long, chewy finish.”

Claiborne & Churchill 2013 Dry Riesling Central Coast($22): Do you customarily write off Riesling as interesting but too cloying? You need to give this one a try. Floral aromatics, curious earthiness and just the right hint of minerality. The owner-winemaker, Clay Thompson, is worth the trip to this rustic Edna Valley tasting room – he’s a former Norse scholar and a fascinating guy.

Deschutes Brewery Zarabanda: With lemon verbena, pink peppercorn, sumac and dried lime. This is the perfect beer to drink right after you’ve done some sweaty yard work. It’s outdoorsy and strong but satisfyingly thirst-quenching, with a slightly grassy flavor. The Oregon brewery describes it as “a Spanish take on the farmhouse-style saison.”

J Dusi 2014 Pinot Grigio ($16): Balanced, bright, dry and refreshing, this delightful wine is the perfect expression of Pinot Grigio from a famous Paso family that has been making wine in the area since the 1920s. Janell (the “J” in the name) is young but clearly learned everything she needed to from her father and uncle.

McEvoy Ranch 2012 Pinot Noir ($45): This Pinot Noir comes from western Marin County, and it’s a beautiful expression of Northern California Pinot – elegant, balanced, a satisfying mix of Burgundian and American approaches (it won’t bowl you over like some of the more over-extracted Southern California Pinots do).

Onx 2012 Reckoning ($45): 62 percent Syrah, 16 percent Petite Sirah, 8 percent Tempranillo, 7 percent Grenache, 5 percent Zinfandel and 2 percent Malbec, this muscular and beguiling wine is a superb example of the power of the “Paso blend.” With its balance of heft, moderate tannins, unctuous fruit and long finish, this is the perfect red to pair with grilled meats.

“Conscientious winegrowing should be unhindered by convention,” says the bold statement posted on the website of Paso Robles’ ONX Wines. Since its founding a little over a decade ago, ONX has learned to embrace that notion ever more enthusiastically.

Brian Brown, ONX’s winemaker, has a long resume for a relatively young guy. After earning a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis and completing internships at Iron Horse Vineyards in Sonoma, Salitage in Pemberton, Australia, and Napa Wine Company in Oakville, Brown’s early career was spent in Napa at Trefethen, Vineyard 29 and Round Pond Estate Winery, where he honed his craft over seven vintages.

But America’s premiere wine region began to feel restrictive. “I was getting a little restless. I was ready to try out some new ideas,” Brown said as we tasted his most recent portfolio in one of several intimate picnic/lounging areas (ONX calls them “embedded oases”) that dot ONX’s picturesque vineyards.

In 2004, Brown was introduced to Steve Olson by a mutual friend. The Olson family, who founded one of the largest construction companies in Southern California, had just purchased the initial 59 acres of undulating former rangeland adjoining a small stream, Santa Rita Creek, near a tract of suburban homes southwest of Templeton.

ONX (pronounced throughout the valley as “Onyx”) lies at the heart of the Templeton Gap, and it’s only nine miles from the coast as the crow flies. The temperature variation, in a word, is extreme. “There are some days during harvest where we have 30- to 40-degree diurnal swings,” Brown said. “The winds will start picking up some days at 10 a.m., because it’s so hot (on the east side of the valley) it pulls the marine air in. We are right in the barrel of the shotgun here.” The low-lying end of the property, near the stream, tends to draw cool air, which lingers – a perfect spot for Sauvignon Blanc.

Brown’s pilot vineyard, planted in 2005, included the most common Rhône varietals: Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre. But after a weekend retreat with the Olson family, a different vision emerged for the young vineyard. Working on a hunch and his love of European wine beyond France, Brown planted several blocks with a mixture of Rhône, Spanish, Bordeaux, Portuguese and Italian grapes – 13 in all.

ONX released its first experimental vintage in 2008; the winery has hit its stride in the last few years with major accolades and impressive scores from Wine Enthusiast, the San Francisco Chronicle and Stephen Tanzer. ONX’s wines triumphed at the 2015 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, winning two gold medals and one double gold.

The recent purchase of an adjoining 61 acres has doubled the vineyard’s size, and Brown plans to increase the number of varietals and clones. That suits the winemaker nicely. He’s still in a period of experimentation, and there’s plenty of room to grow – only 30 acres are under vine, and Brown estimates that could easily be doubled.

“We’re putting in a few varieties that we don’t currently grow. We’re lucky that our owner, Steve, is committed to learning. A lot of what we’re doing is about continual improvement, finding out how different varieties might work together.”

But Brown isn’t afraid of failure. “Some things work, some don’t. We spend a lot of time making mistakes.”

It’s the price to be paid, Brown admits, when your goals are complexity and unusual synergy, two traits he prizes above all others.

Brown held up his glass of 2012 Reckoning, a fascinating and unorthodox blend of Syrah, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Zinfandel and Malbec. “We’re not being radical for the purpose of being radical. It’s all about being attuned to the locale. This is what we can do in this place, on this property. And we’re learning how to do it better every year.”